Hurricane Katrina

After Hurricane Katrina sent two pine trees crashing through our home, friends said, “It could have been worse.”
And they were right.
We could have lost our entire home. Jim, my husband, could have been unemployed. Weston, my son, could have spent his entire freshman year attending high school in Texas.

Someone once said, “No one plans to fail, they simply fail to plan.”
What would you do if your water and other vital utilities were cut off for days? How would you use lifesaving medical equipment requiring electricity? Have you registered with emergency personnel as needing special assistance? What would you do with your pets if you had to go to a shelter where only certified service animals...

The first anniversary of Hurricane Katrina has passed. New Orleans will take years to rebuild. Before Katrina, a typical tourist didn’t visit residential neighborhoods. Now, tour buses drive by the ravaged homes.

With Americans avid to help those hard hit by Hurricane Katrina, the 2005 Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon did double duty. Airing frequent appeals for viewers to make pledges both to the fight against neuromuscular diseases and to hurricane relief efforts, the 40th annual Labor Day weekend broadcast brought in $54.9 million in pledges and contributions.
Star Jerry Lewis declared the show “one of the...